How any organization makes such drastic decisions – even in drastic Covid-19 times – shows a lack of appreciation of the sport. “As much as [there would be] effort and hope, you cannot win a gold medal on that. We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism. England men's head coach Eddie Jones has completed his coaching team ahead of the 2020 Six Nations with the appoints of Simon Amor and Matt Proudfoot as his new assistant coaches. Some were upset that they received a one-line severance letter from the RFU after the initial virtual meeting where they learnt of their fate. He was going to step back into sevens for the Olympics this year but with it postponed, no decision has been made. I don’t see what more we can do for a performance on the pitch to reap the rewards off it. The Fiji Airways Fijian 7s team are going to face France again in their Pool B clash for the Vancouver Sevens in Canada, this weekend. Other teams that have qualified for the second elimination include Police White, Raiwasa Taveuni, Navutulevu, Tabadamu and Dritabua. Olympic silver medallist Norton told Telegraph Sport: “The more I think about it, the more frustrated I get. HSBC Dream Team 2020 - men's 24/09/2020 14:21. And Covid-19 could specifically be the reason for such contract decisions yet, long term implications are obvious. [8] Northern Irish players according to the British Olympic Association's rules as British citizens would have been eligible to play for Great Britain; however the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) announced that Northern Ireland players would represent the Ireland national rugby sevens team as rugby in Ireland is organised on an All-Ireland basis. At the start of the 2019-20 seasons, there were even discussions that players would buy their own energy sweets to save about £300 per year for the RFU, while backroom staff were cut to a skeleton crew. “Main photo credit” Please review our, You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. Receive breaking rugby news, team and player announcements, exclusive content and ticket presale information. An RFU spokesperson said: “We have approached UK Sport for funding and are exploring the option for a Team GB sevens team, we are also in dialogue with World Rugby about the programme for the World Sevens Series and when games are likely to be played. Norton, despite his commitment to sevens over 10 years, is concerned about Team GB’s performance. In the HSBC Sevens Series, World Rugby decided to cancel the remaining season and awarded the men’s and women’s titles to New Zealand. “My major goal in rugby is to go to the Olympics, but at the same time I have to do whatever needs to be done to keep our child fed and to keep a roof over our heads.”. “The whole time I have been at the RFU, the writing has always seemed to be on the wall for sevens. All Rights Reserved. Pio Tuwai of the Barbarian It feels, the better we do on it, the worse we get treated off it.”. The correlation here is that both financially and commercially, it is that Sevens does not receive funding from UK Sport; the organization responsible for investing in Olympic and Paralympic sports in the country. An unnamed RFU spokesperson told the Telegraph, “we have approached UK Sport for funding and are exploring the option* for a Team GB sevens team. DHL Impact Player 2020 - women's 24/09/2020 13:29. “The sacrifices some of the lads have made to stay in sevens have been big. “The way our exit was done wasn’t great on a call and then I got an email last night with one line and that was it. Although, from the reported reaction by players like Dan Norton, they are downhearted to say the least. The media report from The Telegraph has been quoted widely, yet all the information points to a gaping hole in the RFU [England Rugby] bank balance, and the rugby sevens program is a victim of circumstance. However, senior players, including sevens all-time highest try-scorer Dan Norton and 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, Richard de Carpentier, have expressed their frustration at now being out of a job. Apparently the RFU said it ‘could no longer support the England sevens teams in the current climate’. Players have also been left “devastated”, by the funding cut a year out from the Olympics. Your email address will not be published. [8], A silver medal for Great Britain in the 2016 Olympics is a considerable achievement for a team that was only formed ten weeks prior the tournament. The whole thing felt like we were treated like a commodity rather than people. Great Britain qualified for the 2020 sevens event (competing as England), on 14 July 2019, defeating France 31–7 at Stade Michel Bendichou in Colomiers, France. Even more so in how we have been cast aside,” said De Carpentier. It is understood players would be contracted on a tournament-to-tournament basis, but only a small number of sevens players have attracted the attention of Premiership clubs for XVs contracts. 2020 Courts IDC: Qasevakatini helps Nadi keep semi-final hopes alive, The big battle to balance gender at the Paralympic Games, FNPF COVID-19 assistance schemes extended, Respected member of the K-9 Unit laid to rest, Family cuts cane to pay for boy's funeral expenses, 34 witnesses to be called in murder trial, Social Welfare recipients advised by Westpac to open BSP account. Pool Games, email, and Scotland rugby respectively dhl Impact Player 2020 - men 's rugby is. Meeting where they learnt of their fate such drastic decisions – even in drastic reaction! In the 2015 sevens World Series we rely on advertising to help our! Are the partnering nations of England, Wales, and website in this browser for the.... Format. ” Impact Player 2020 - women 's 24/09/2020 13:29 White, Raiwasa,... 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